International Review of the Red Cross, 2006, No. 861 – International criminal tribunals

The present issue of the International Review of the Red Cross looks at the different international and internationalized criminal tribunals and courts set up since the creation of the two ad hoc Tribunals by the UN Security Council, and inquires into the broader objectives of international criminal law.

Measuring the impact of punishment and forgiveness: a framework for evaluating transitional justicePierre HazanThe mechanisms of transitional justice have gradually become a vector of globalization, seeking to stabilize, pacify and reassure entire populations. These mechanisms can play a crucial role in societies torn apart by the violence of conflict, but they must contribute effectively to the will of the local actors to take their destiny into their own hands by devising political and institutional safeguards to prevent a repeat of mass crimes.

An overview of the international criminal jurisdictions operating in AfricaJamie A. WilliamsonThe experiences of the International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda , the Special Court for Sierra Leone, and the International Criminal Court, have shown that despite being the continent where most of these crimes have been committed in the past couple of decades, Africa is also a continent clearly devoted to furthering accountability for such atrocities.

Humanitarian organizations and international criminal tribunals, or trying to square the circleAnne-Marie La RosaThe fact that international criminal tribunals have become operational has undoubtedly changed the face of the global humanitarian environment. Humanitarian organizations face a very difficult dilemma: on the one hand they cannot ignore the important role of international criminal prosecution, while on the other they are reluctant to put their operations in the field at risk by being seen to co-operate in judicial proceedings. Furthermore, a categorical refusal to co-operate could lead to their being compelled to testify.

Adoption of an Additional Distinctive EmblemFinal Act of the Diplomatic Conference on the adoption of the Third Protocol additional to the Geneva Conventions of 12 August 1949, and relating to the adoption of an Additional Distinctive Emblem.